Download Syrian Culture Resource

Syrian Culture Resource
Heather Franks
Cohort 34
Spring 2005
Topic References
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Religions
Holidays
Education
Family Life
What Teachers Should Understand
Literature
Teacher Guidelines
The Katreeb Family: Journey to America
Religions

Majority religion: Sunnite Muslim
– Other Muslim religions: Alawites, Ismailis,
and Shiite

Non-Muslim majority religion: Christian
– Greek Orthodox and American Orthodox

Minority religions: Druses (related to
Islam), Jewish (dwindling—most have
moved to the US or Israel)
Majority Religion

Muslims practice the five pillars of Islam.
– Shahada is the profession of faith: “There is no
God but God (Allah) and Mohammed is his
prophet.”
– Salat is the requirement to pray five times a day:
at dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and
evening.
– Zakat is the giving of alms to the poor.
– Saum is the requirement to fast from sunrise to
sunset during the month of Ramadan.
– Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims must
make at least once in their lives.
• May include a stop in Medina to pay respects at the
Prophet’s grave.
– http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/
Majority Religion

Sunnite Muslim: A member of the branch of
Islam that accepts the first four caliphs as
rightful successors to Muhammad.
– Caliph: the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state
considered to be a representative of Allah on earth; "many
radical Muslims believe a Khalifah will unite all Islamic lands
and people and subjugate the rest of the world.”
• Khalifah: synonym of caliph
– http://www.worldreference.com
Majority Religion

Muslim: A believer or follower of Islam
– Islam: the monotheistic religion of Muslims
founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on
the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the
Koran.
• Koran: The sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to
the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and
Medina.
• Muhammad: The Arab prophet who founded Islam (570632)
– Mecca: joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia; located
in western Saudi Arabia; as the birthplace of Muhammad it
is the holiest city of Islam.
– Medina: city in western Saudi Arabia; site of the tomb of
Muhammad; the second most holy city of Islam
Minority Religion

Druze: an adherent of an esoteric
monotheistic religious sect living in the
relative security of the mountains of Syria and
Lebanon who believes that Al-hakim was an
incarnation of God.
– Esoteric: confined to and understandable by only
an enlightened inner circle.
– Al-hakim: an Ismaili caliph of Egypt who declared
himself an incarnation of God and founded the
Druze religious sect (985-1021).
• http://www.worldreference.com
Holidays
Syrian Muslim Holidays
– Ramadan
– Eid al-Fitr
– Eid al-Adha
– Muharram

Syrian Christian Holidays
– Christmas
– Catholic or Orthodox Easter
Syrian Muslim Holidays
The dates of Muslim holidays change
yearly
 The Islamic religion follows the Lunar
calendar.

– 354 days in a year
• Each year the holidays are 11 days earlier than
the previous year.
Syrian Muslim Holidays

Ramadan: Ninth month of the Islamic
calendar.
–
–
–
–
Fast from sunrise to sunset.
A time for reflection of spiritual matters.
Shows devotion to Allah and Mohammed.
Builds self-discipline and encourages compassion
for those who are less fortunate.
– During Ramadan families eat their evening meal
with each other.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html
Syrian Muslim Holidays

Eid al-Fitr: The “breaking of the fast” at the
end of Ramadan.
– People eat special foods, including sweets, and
many people stay up all night.
– Visit family and wear new clothes.
– Children receive gifts of money from their
relatives.
• There are rides for children in the streets and fireworks at
night.
– The celebration is three days.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html
Syrian Muslim Holidays

Eid al-Adha: Lasts four days and comes
at the end of the traditional season of
pilgrimage to Mecca.
– Celebrates Abraham’s willingness to
sacrifice his son to God.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.ht
ml
Syrian Muslim Holidays

Muharram: The beginning of the first month in
the Hijara (lunar) calendar.
– Is the Muslim New Year.
– Commemorates the day on which Mohammed and
his followers left Medina for Mecca.
– Festivals held throughout the year:
• Palmyra Festival: Held in the desert and features singing
and dancing as well as camel and horse races.
• Latakia, Syria: A peace festival is held during the month
of August.
• September, an international folk festival is held in Busra.
– The festival continues every night for three weeks.
» http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html
Syrian Christian Holidays

Christian Syrians celebrate Christmas
and the Catholic or Orthodox Easter.
– Communities celebrate these holidays.
– Only a few decorations appear in
Christmas time
• Christmas lights are uncommon.
– http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html
Education





Primary education is free.
Attendance is mandatory for ages 6 to 15.
Students wear a green, military-style uniform.
Taught in Arabic.
Learning a second language is mandatory at
eight years-old.
– Most students study English.

Religion is taught also.
Education

Secondary education is free at state schools.
– Ages 15 to 18.

Four universities.
– Students pay a small tuition to attend.

Literacy rate has increased significantly over
the last 20 years.
– About 71%.
• 86% of men and 56% of women.
– http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/
Family Life—Children
Having children is very important.
 When a couple has a son, the parents
take the name of their first son.

– i.e.: If they name their son Yassar, the
father becomes Abu Yassar or “father of
Yassar” and the mother becomes Umm
Yassar or “mother of Yassar.”
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/
Family Life—Marriage

Children do not leave their parents’ home
until marriage.
– Some newlywed couples live with their parents for
a few years after marriage.

Weddings are major social events.
– Arranged marriages are common in Syria.
– In the city there is usually more freedom to choose
a marriage partner.
• Parents of couple must OK the marriage.
– The groom pays a bride-price (majr) to the bride’s
family.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/
Family Life—Status
Men have a strong individual and family
honor (ird).
 Women do not have equal status.

– Men and women rarely socialize together
outside the home.
– It is legal for Muslims to have multiple
wives.
– Rare for Syrian families to divorce.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/
Family Life—Relatives

The elderly are respected.
 Elders live with their families their entire life.
 Nursing homes are not available.
 A death in the family entails three days of
mourning.
– Women relatives of the deceased must wear black
months after their passing.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/
Family Life—Structure
Patriarchal: The husband or “head
man” is the leader of the home.
 Females, beginning at a young age, are
expected to “help raise[ed] younger
brothers and sisters…and continue[d]
that obligation until her death…”

– The Katreeb Family
Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand

Female students may seem to be reclusive.
This can be attributed to their lack of social
standing in Syria.
 Syrian students of Muslim decent will need to
pray during the school day.
– Set up a “special” place where they can go to pray.

Syrian students of Muslim decent are not
going to eat at school during lunch while they
are observing Ramadan.
– Be understanding of their religious holiday. This is
a practiced Muslims have been observing for
centuries.
Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand

The term Mohammedanism is offensive
to Muslims who believe that Allah, not
Muhammad, founded their religion.
– Teachers should be careful of the
questions they ask or comments made
about a student’s religion.
– Teachers should research the student’s
religion to preempt a faux pas.
• http://www.worldreference.com
Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand
When you need to speak with a parent
of your Syrian student the mother may
not be allowed to make a “decision”
about her child without first consulting
her husband.
 The most important piece of information
to keep in mind is that there is no
“typical” Syrian student or family, just as
there is not in the US.

Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand

Some families have come here to find safety
aware from the constant war in the Middle
East that has been going on for centuries,
while others are coming for better
opportunities.
 Treat each family as their own unit. The way
you will handle situations regarding a student
depends a lot on the religious and social
background that student comes from in Syria
and the amount of education the parents
have had.
Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand

Syria is an old country with an extensive religious and
political background.
 Holy wars have been constant in Syria and
surrounding countries for a long time.
 Syria used to be a larger country containing the land
of what is not Israel and Lebanon.
 Because of Syria’s extensive history students may
have mixed emotions regarding the US and Syria.
 Take the student’s feelings into consideration. Be
both patient and understanding of their country’s
history.
Literature

Disney is universal!
– Middle Eastern children are very familiar with
Disney. You may consider using a Disney book,
such as “The Lion King,” to provide the student a
comfort zone.

Cookbooks
– Let the children share their “Funds of Knowledge”
through different cookbooks.
• Believe it or not, Betty Crocker has cultural foods!
Literature

Concept Books
– Concept books tend to be filled with
pictures. Students can learn the English
terms and share the Arabic terms in the
concept book with the class.
Literature

Use these titles in your classroom as a
reference for you, as a learning experience
for your native students, and as a familiar
experience for your Syrian student(s):
– Ahsan, M.M. Muslim Festivals. Illustrated by
M.M. Ahsan. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Enterprises,
1987.
– Bloom, Jonathan, and Sheila S. Blair. Islamic
Arts. Art and Ideas. London: Phaidon Press,
1997.
Literature
– Bloom, Jonathan and Sheila S. Blair. Islam
: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power.
New Haven, CT and London: Yale
University Press, 2002.
– Burns, Khephra. Mansa Musa. Illustrated
by Leo & Diane Dillon. San Francisco:
Harcourt Brace, 2001.
– Chalfonte, Jessica. I Am Muslim. New
York : PowerKids Press, 1996.
Literature

Ellis, Deborah. The Breadwinner. Toronto,
CA: Groundwood, 2000.
 Goodwin, Jan. Price of Honor: Muslim
Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the
Islamic World. New York: Plume, 1995.
 Kessler, Cristina. One Night: A Story from
the Desert. Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr.
New York: Philomel Books, 1995.
Literature

Naff, Alixa. The Arab Americans. New York:
Chelsea House, 1988.
 Nye, Naomi Shihab. The Flag of Childhood:
Poems from the Middle East. New York:
Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002.
 Nye, Naomi Shihab. The Space Between
Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from
the Middle East. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1998.
Literature
Weiss-Armush, Anne Marie. Arabian
Cuisine. Illustrated by John Berry.
Beirut, Lebanon : Dar An-nafaés, 1984.
 Wprmser, Richard. American Islam:
Growing Up Muslim in America. New
York: Walker & Co., 1994.

Guidelines for Teachers
Know that females may not have the
same amount of education as males the
same age because women do not have
the same rights as men.
 When probing the class, do not put
students on the spot unless they are
comfortable—their education has been
more formal that what is in the US.

Guidelines for Teachers
For counselors—Note that religion plays
a major role in most Syrian families.
You must respect the rules those
families follow.
 Some towns do not have electricity or
indoor plumbing—there may be cultural
bias that you will have to overcome or
work around.

Guidelines for Teachers

Though these students have been
educated, many times the schools are
overcrowded, on double session and
without up-to-date information.
– You may have build an entirely new
foundation of knowledge for that student
and overcome their misconceptions or outof-date conceptions regarding academics.
The Katreeb Family: Journey to America

1894—Elias Thanaus Katreeb begins
his journey to America.
– Burj Safita, Syriaby donkey to Beirut,
Syria (now Beirut, Lebanon)
– Boarded at a house in town for a few
weeksStop in Marsilles, FranceEllis
Island
– Processed and sent to Pennsylvania with
many other Syrians.
The Katreeb Family: Journey to America

1894-1896—Elias begins his living
– Established a local grocery in Southside
Pittsburgh
– Returns to Syria in 1986 to marry Sarah
Libbos Katreeb.
– Sarah and Elias returned to the US taking
the same long journey.
The Katreeb Family: Journey to America

1897-few years
– Elias and Sarah were able to afford to bring
Elias’ sister and husband to the US, and
Sarah’s two brothers.
• Ann and her husband moved to McKeesport.
• Sarah’s brothers moved to West Newton.
– The majority of Syrian immigrants from Burj Safita
were living in West Newton at that time.
The Katreeb Family: Journey to America

Not all of the Katreeb-Libbos family was
able to enter the US because of quota
reasons.
– Many members of my family immigrated to
Brazil, where that part of the family still is
today.
Resources and References
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/ex
plore/nations/syria.html
 http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekvande
r/ChildrenLit/islamicliterature.htm
 http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekvande
r/ChildrenLit/index.html

Resources and References
http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holi
days.html
 http://www.worldreference.com
 Katreeb, Charles. The Katreeb Family.
Florida, 1995.
